A former town centre newsagent has been hit by the theft of his mobility scooter after it was taken from his shed.

Norris Baxter, of Herald Walk, Dartford, was devastated after waking up on the morning on Saturday, July 21, to find the vehicle had been stolen from his garden.

The 76-year-old, who suffers with tongue cancer, had just returned from a care home.

Mr Baxter moved back into his property last month after being a resident at Wilmington Manor since April.

Daughter Andrea Szilagyi, 53, of Burnthouse Lane, Hawley, said: “He has been through so much this year.

"Getting home was his main goal.

“He had just started to do things on his own, like going to town for a cup of tea with my uncle, or going to Sainsbury’s.

“It was nice to know he was able to a bit more, and be independent.

“But now I worry how he is going to get the bits and pieces he needs on his own, as I work full time, so can only see him twice a week.”

The pensioner, who took over Hythe Street-based Baxters newsagents from his parents in 1970, is “well-known around Dartford”.

He now has trouble speaking clearly after doctors revealed an ulcer on his tongue, which was first thought to be harmless, was actually cancerous.

Unable to undergo surgery as he was too frail, he went to Darent Valley Hospital where he was given a feeding tube before starting radiotherapy.

He remained there from February to April when he moved to the care home.

Andrea remains worried about her father, saying: “When he was home we had gone into town, over the square, to the park, he was happy doing things for himself at last.

“But now the scooter has been taken, he is back to relying on people to do things for him.”

Police spokesman James Walker said the force was aware of the theft and was investigating.